To me few subjects, perhaps with the exceptions of Haute Couture or Contemporary Art, lend themselves so seamlessly to a certain type of verbose and overinflated writing style more than architecture. Yet Paul Goldberger’s Why Architecture Matters, a book focused entirely on writing about buildings, avoids all of the bombast and self-consciousness affectation that can plague writing about architecture and yet passionately and eloquently discusses the subject in a very satisfying and readable way. Goldberg, who many may know from his role as the architecture critic for the New Yorker, clearly has a deep understanding of buildings and what makes them great, or not. But it’s his refusal to show any overt favoritism toward a particular architectural style or period and to instead use his engaging conversational style to discuss the subtle and ever shifting criteria that we use to discuss and judge a buildings worth that matters about Why Architecture Matters.

Book

Why Architecture Matters

To me few subjects, perhaps with the exceptions of Haute Couture or Contemporary Art, lend themselves so seamlessly to a certain type of verbose and overinflated writing style more than architecture. Yet Paul Goldberger’s Why Architecture Matters, a book focused entirely on writing about buildings, avoids all of the bombast and self-consciousness affectation that can plague writing about architecture and yet passionately and eloquently discusses the subject in a very satisfying and readable way. Goldberg, who many may know from his role as the architecture critic for the New Yorker, clearly has a deep understanding of buildings and what makes them great, or not. But it’s his refusal to show any overt favoritism toward a particular architectural style or period and to instead use his engaging conversational style to discuss the subtle and ever shifting criteria that we use to discuss and judge a buildings worth that matters about Why Architecture Matters.